Fishing for a few answers?

When is the best fishing?

For the main species we target at Langara Island, fishing for Chinook salmon and Halibut is typically good all season long (May to Sept); fishing for Coho salmon is typically best from mid-July through September.

Unlike many other fishing areas that are targeting salmon returning to a specific river system, Langara benefits from being on the migratory path of salmon returning to rivers all along the west coast, from SE Alaska to northern California. So we see a more consistent abundance of salmon over a longer period of time.

What if I've never fished before?

Langara Island is a great place to enjoy your first fishing experience. A large number of our guests are casual or novice anglers, and our guides all enjoy sharing their passion for fishing with first-timers. If you’re nervous about being out in the open ocean, don’t worry: most of our best fishing is in well-protected waters close to shore, and our entire fishing area is just 5-25 minutes from the lodge, so it’s easy to break up the day with some time off the boat.

Children, is there a minimum or recommended age?

We recommend bringing young children only if they are capable of fully enjoying a trip to Langara — meaning they are able to spend multiple hours in a boat in relatively calm conditions and strong enough to handle a rod and reel with some assistance. Generally, children under 10 years are too young, but the appropriate age will vary based on their boating and/or fishing experience.

Fishing limits, what are they?

(Note: The allowable limits for each species are subject to change) 

Limits, as of September 1, 2022, are:

SALMON: total limit is 8 salmon per person; within that limit of 8, you can retain up to 4 Chinook (spring), and up to 8 of any other species (Coho, Chum, Sockeye, Pink).

HALIBUT: total limit is either 1 or 2, depending on the length of Halibut you choose to retain — you can retain a total of 1 Halibut if its length is between 90cm – 133cm (between approximately 20-70 lbs), or you can retain a total of 2 Halibut if both are under 90cm (up to approximately 20 lbs).

LINGCOD: total of 3 in possession.

ROCKFISH: total of 3 in possession. This excludes Yelloweye Rockfish and Bocaccio Rockfish, which are non-retention.

Within these retention limits, there is no weight limit for how much fish a guest can have shipped back to Vancouver at the end of your trip.

How do I get my fish home?

Your catch will be filleted, vacuum-packed, and flash-frozen at the lodge, and on the day of departure packaged in insulated styro-boxes with a waxed cardboard outer box. These boxes should keep your catch frozen for up to 24 hours, and are suitable for transport on any airline — just treat them as extra pieces of luggage.

If staying in Vancouver after your trip, our recommended hotels have freezers for storing your boxes until your flight home.

At the lodge, you’ll also have the option of having all or some of your catch sent off for further processing, such as smoking, canning, or portioning. This fish will be sent from the lodge to our processor, and shipped to you at a later date.

I live overseas, can I bring my fish home?

Langara Fishing Lodge is certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as an approved facility for the export of fish products to the European Union (Approval No. SFL-001), which means you can return home with your full catch.

If placing an order for further processing (smoking, canning…) with St. Jean’s Cannery, they are also an approved exporter.

Can I request a guide or extra boat at the lodge?

Guests should ensure their guide and boat arrangements are confirmed in advance of their trip. Guides and boats are subject to availability — unless pre-arranged, we cannot guarantee additional guides or boats will be available if you make a request at the Lodge.

I've done some salmon fishing, do I need a guide?

Unless you have a lot of experience salmon fishing in ocean waters, we always recommend booking a guide if it’s your first trip to Langara. Guests with some salmon fishing experience (a few trips at other lodges, for example), will typically catch fish unguided, but are usually not fishing productively.

If you have a lot of experience salmon fishing in ocean waters, then you should do well fishing unguided at Langara — our area is easy to navigate and our style of fishing is quite simple. But keep in mind we don’t use downriggers, we fish the more classic mooching style, as most of our fishing takes place close to shore in relatively shallow waters.

Can I book a guide for just the first day or two, then fish unguided?

Requesting a guide for just a day or afternoon is possible and can usually be accommodated, but just keep in mind it is not guaranteed — we can note your request in advance of the trip, and will typically have someone available (either a guide or experienced staff member). But guides are assigned first to guests who have booked a guide for the whole trip, so any injury to a guide or last-minute booking might leave us short-staffed and unable to fulfil your request.

When available, this option is billed at $85/hour. If you want to ensure you have a guide available, but also want to do some unguided fishing, then our recommendation, and something you can measure the hourly cost against, is to reserve a Guided 20′ Console Boat — with this option, you can have a guide available at all times, and will still be able to take your boat out unguided when you choose. If the fishing or weather conditions become challenging, you’ll enjoy having the guide available.